[ClassicFarris]

Combined with being a bike friendly city, (googling "best bike cities usa" brought up the city in the top 10 of every list). It seems like Minneapolis is doing commuting right. I wonder if there are any studies around the "quality" of the different commutes a city can have? Meaning does it matter that people can Drive, Bus or Bike to work in some very good conditions… or it doesn't matter; because most people think any commute sucks?

Now about those winters...

[at-fates-hands]

>>> Now about those winters...

I actually live on the outskirts of Minneapolis and all the bike trails are usually plowed clean before most of the streets. The bike paths are used year round and the cities work together to make sure they stay clear, even during snowstorms.

I have several co-workers who ride year round and swear they've never had to ride on a trail with a ton of snow.

And besides, all you have to do now is strap on your FAT tires and you're good!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04P3j7-1VkY/TyjLZ2MPIcI/AAAAAAAAGO...

[avn2109]

>> "Now about those winters..."

Well, some Minnesotans consider the winters a feature, not a bug. They keep the Californians out.

I accept my downvotes with dignity.

[mproud]

Hmm, that’s an interesting question. Most of the studies only focus on auto traffic. I know the Twin Cities metro area fares good enough to be outside the top 10 worst (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45mlei/no-1-san-francisco-... http://time.com/2849442/worst-traffic/ etc.) which I think it’s because of three factors — population size, lack of density, and highways with BRT and HOV lanes.

As far as the winters go… it’s kind of a roll of the die. Sometimes we have very mild winters where it barely snows at all. And then other years we get brutal weather like last winter, which forces rare parking restrictions where you can only park on one side of the street. However, when it does snow, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Mn/DOT are incredibly efficient when it comes to plowing streets and highways.

[bdcravens]

Living in Houston, I wish bike commuting was an option, but even if the infrastructure was in place, it'd be impractical. After 3 minutes you'd be sweating like a pig, and would absolutely stink once you arrived at your destination.